RSPCA calls for new law as attacks rise

RSPCA officials expressed alarm yesterday at a rise in violent attacks on animals after releasing figures on the charity's work in England and Wales over the past year.

Their report said that more than 38,500 animals had been at potential risk of abuse over the year. RSPCA inspectors rescued 11,806 animals, an increase of 495 on the previous year.

Of the 928 prosecutions, 292 were in the north of England, compared with 109 in the south-east. Most of the charges were for neglect (693), but there were also 93 prosecutions involving violent offences against animals, compared with 90 the year before. More people were convicted of cruelty than in the previous year.

The most commonly mistreated animals were dogs, followed by cats and horses. The dogs identified as suffering the most cruelty were crossbreeds, then german shepherds and staffordshire bull terriers.

Under a 1911 law, an animal has to actually suffer before its owner can face prosecution. The RSPCA wants new legislation to prevent suffering and ensure owners are legally bound to follow advice.

Hamish Rogers, an RSPCA chief superintendent who worked as an inspector for 16 years, said: "One of the main concerns is the rising level of all sorts of violent crimes against animals.

"Violent offences are probably the most shocking, as they involve deliberate acts of cruelty against animals rather than ignorance of their needs. Regrettably, this is on the increase."

Last December, the RSPCA seized 73 dogs after a three-year investigation into dog-fighting rings. Police questioned 12 men and a number have since been charged.

Last August, a Jack Russell cross was thrown from a moving car in Merthyr Tyfdil, south Wales.

Among other cases, a student who killed two puppies by hanging them by their leads was jailed for six months.

Simon Purchase, 34, from Somerset, was jailed for two and a half months after he poured boiling water over his girlfriend's greyhound, George, to punish her for going for a drink with her ex-boyfriend. The dog suffered extensive scalding. Purchase was banned from keeping animals for 10 years.

Inspectors found 74 animals, including 44 dogs, living in appalling conditions in a house in Cambridgeshire in 2003. Their owners, Alan Archer, 60, and his sisters Violet, 66, and Valerie, 52, pleaded guilty to a total of 14 offences.

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